Process of obtaining turpentine, rosin, &amp;c., from wood.



WILL HA or PATENT oFFIoE.

CATSKILL, NEW YORK, AND OURTISS W. KURSTEINER, OF, ENGLEVVOOD, NEWERSEY.

PROCESS OBTAINING TURPENTINE, ROSIN, 81,0" FROM WOOD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILL K. HALE, resid ing at Catskill, county ofGreene, State of New York, and CURTIss W. KiiRsTE1NER,re siding atEnglewood, county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, citizens of the UnitedStates, have jointly invented aProcess of Obtaining Turpentine, Rosin,and other Constituents from Wood, of whichthe following is aspecification.

Heretofore it has been proposed to sub I ject wood, such as yellow pine,containing terebinthinate or turpentine bearing um to the action ofwater maintained at the oiling-point and also at a higher temperaturethan 212 by adding to the water some mater al to increase its densityand raise the polnt at which it boils. In such a rocess some of the gumor terebinthinate wil rise to the surface and may be removed for furthertreatment; but owing to the maintenance .of v the temperature at orabove that of the boilinfig-point of water turpentine will be driven ofrom a comparatively large ercentage of the gum and will be wasted andthat portion of the gum being deprived of its lighter constituents willremain among the pieces of wood and be practically lost, and when the iwood is subsequently subjected to destructive distillation the productsfrom the gum mingle with the distillation products of the.

wood,which'musttherefore be subjected to special treatment to eliminatethem.

This invention is based upon the discovery that when the wood issubjected to the action of a bath of water maintained at a temperaturejust below the boiling-point or a proximate y just below 212 Fahrenheit.t e terebinthinate or gum will separate from the wood and retaining itsturpentine or its volatained at'a temperature just below that ofSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed y 1902- Sflial NO- 109.510.

By so- Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

the boiling-point substantially all of the tembinthinate may beeliminated, and hence the products from a destructive distillation ofthe wood are free from the products of the distillation of theterebinthinate, which if present will constitute a foreign element orimpurity.

The accompanying drawing depicts some what diagrammatically an apparatusfor practicing this invention. Our process is not limited, however, tothe use of any par ticular apparatus. That illustrated has beenpractically tested and serves to carry out the process hereinbeforebriefly described.

A is a vertical cylindrical vessel having convex or dome-shaped ends.Near the upper and lower ends, respectively, are gratings A A theopenings in the upper one of which are of considerable dimensions. Thewood to be treated by the hot-water bath may be introduced into thespace between the gratings through a lateral charging-orifice'A andshould be in sufiiciently small pieces. Of course it may be in the formof chips or shavings; but wehavefound by experience that 'it is quitesufficient to cut it to the size of ordinary kindling-wood- The watermay be introduced by a-vertical pipe B, having a cock b, which extendsfrom a tank B, containing a heating-coil B, and is connected at lowergratin A Beneath t e vessel A is placed an annular bottom of the vesselpasses a pipe D,having a cock D. From the top of the vessel leads a pipeE, having a. cock E, which connects with a condensing-wormE Since thevesthe wood after the terebinthinate has been separated therefrom,itwillbe called the retort. The wood (indicated by X) prefer ablysubstantially fills the s ,ace between the gratings, and the water-leveduring the operation should be above the upper grating A. Just attheoperating water-level there is a lateral pipe F, having a cock F, andin the len th of which is inter osed an observationbul F, of glass,beyonwhich the pipeopens into the top of a still G.

its lower end with a perforated annular pi e B located within thechafnber'A below te gas or other vapor burner C, and from thesel Aserves for the destructive distillation of The retort A having beencharged with wood, preferably rich long-leaf yellow pine, and Wateradmitted which is preferably warm and which preferably has a temperatureof 130 or thereabout, the temperature of the bath is raised by the flameof the burner C to something less than the boilingpoint, or 21 2. Ourpractice shows that a tem erature of 210 or 21 1 is most effective, at W'ch temperature the bath is maintained. The retort A would in practicebe inclosed by a suitable shell to conserve the heat energy and applythe rising productsof combustion of the flame to the sides of theretort. In this way the temperature may be maintained at the desiredpoint. he introduced through an aperture in the top of the retort toguide the operator in his regulation of the burner. Under the actionofthe hot water the terebinthinate will exude from the wood somewhat inthe form of globules and without giving off its tur entine Will rise tothe top of the bath, and the bulk of the bath being Increased-as, forinstance, by addition of water gradually or from time to time in smallquantities through the pi e B.the gum'may be floated ofl through t epipe F into the still G. This operation continues until substantiallyall of the um has left the Wood and been transferre to the still. Duringthe operation the valve E has been closed. It may now be opened thevalve F closed, and the water from the retort be drawn off by the pipeD. The heating of the retort may now e continued at a higher temperatureto effect the destructive distillation of the wood duction ofproducts-such as charcoal, pyroligneous acid, creosote, tar oils, andtar-and since-the terebinthinate has been eliminated from the wood theseconstituents may be separated in the usual Way and are pure products inthat-they do not contain the products of distillation of theterebinthinate.

The contents of the still G will stratify therein, the bulk of the gumor terebinthinat'e sinking to the bottom, being more dense ,on accountof the lower temperature the still a smaller quantity of not beingheated, while lighten gum having the I same general characterlstics asthe other portions of gum will float upon the water within the still.

of thecontents of the still.

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent a series of cocks placed at different levelson the side of the st1ll.. Through these samples may be ta ped off toindicate the stratification and the level --preferably. of somewhatlarger dimensions than the others and may be excess of water during therun of the retort A,

used to draw off hereinbefore described. The valve F being closed, heatis applied to the still G by means of an annular gas or other vaporburner G and the temperature of the contents raised to A thermometer Ymay therein for the pro-,

three to five hours one 7 The cock 4- is of rosin of fine about 215Fahrenheit, at which the lighter 6 5 gum, water, and heavier gum form aboiling emulsion; the vapors from which pass through a pipe H, having acockH, to a condensingworm K. This ortion of the process is continueduntil all-t e vapor is carried over, the period depending upon thequantity of gum treated. Water may be added, if required, through the pie G The condensed product of the disti ling operation will be water, andfloating upon the Water pure sparkling turpentine answering all testsfor purity, strength, chemical reaction and medicinal properties, andentirely free from forei or obnoxious odors. The temperature o the stillmay now be raised to drive off the rosinoil, which will be condensed andcollected. The turpentine and water having been eliminated from thestill, the residuum will be rosin of fine quality, which while yetheated and liquid may be drawn 03 through the pipe L, having a cock L.'

During the operation of the still G the temgerature may be indicated bya thermometer provided with a bushing closely fitting an aperture in thetop of the still. destructive distillation of the wood in the retort Athe thermometer Y may be removed and the aperture in the top of theretortclosed b a screwlug; The up er gratin A serves? to hold balhk thewood, w iich woul be floated-upwardly, and the openings therein-are madeof am le dimensions to permit the gum to ass free y, whilepreventingchips or ieces 0 wood from rising to the surface and being floated overto the still G.

in its broader aspect, We may say that experience has shown that highlysatisfactory and substantially perfect results are obtained byintroducing the water into the retort A at a tem erature of about 130Fahrenheit and re ually raising its temperature until the 'mit ofabout210 or 211 has been reached, or, in other words, until a temperature'ust short of the boiling point is attained an at which the bath ismaintained. It appears also that the local application of heat at thebottom'of the retort A induces upward currents in the bath which tendsto assist the terebinthinate in rising to the surface.

'By the use of this process We have obtained from the treatment of onehundred and twenty-eight. ounds of rich long-leaf straw pine-wood uringa period of from gallon of turpentine of high grade and labouttwenty-five pounds ua ity. The boiling o the water-bath is to be. avoid-;ed because of the retention in the collection of pieces of woodof aconsiderable percentage of terebinthinate. The maintenance of thetemperature of the bath just below the boiling-point, or, other words,at a tem- Without intending to limit the invention perature ofapproximately 210 or 211 Fahrenheit, is desirable, because at thattemperature there is an active elimination of the terebinthinate orturpentine-bearing gum from the wood. It should be understood, however,that at somewhat lower temperatures than 210 or 211 there will be aseparation of the terebinthinate from the wood; but it is not so active,and hence the eriod ofoperation must be prolonged, and in our opinionthe terebinthinate is not so completely extracted from the wood as isthe case where a temperature just below the boiling-point, or, in otherwords, 210 or 211 is employed.

We claim as our invention 1. The process of separating terebinthinatefrom wood which consists in subjecting the wood to the action of a bathof hot water maintained at a temperature below the boiling-point butsufficiently high to ezrtract the terebinthinate from the wood.

2. The process of separating terebinthinate from wood which consists insubjecting the wood to a bath of hot water maintained at a temperaturejust below the boiling-point.

3. The process of separating terebinthinate from wood which consists 1nsubjectin the wood to a bath of hot water inaintaine at a temperaturebelow the boiling-point and increasin the bulk of the bath to therebyflow or oat the terebinthinate, which has arisen to the surface, fromthe vessel in which .the operation is conducted.

4. The process of obtaining turpentine from wood by a continuous oeration conducted in one apparatus whic consists in subjecting the woodto a bath of hot water maintained at a temperature below theboiling-point, but sufficiently high to extract-the terebinthinate from thewood, automatically removing the extracted terebinthinate from thesurface of the bath to a suitable still and then distilling it for theseparation of the turpentine. I i

5. The process of obtainin V. turpentine,

' rosin-oil and rosin from wood y a continuous operation conducted inone apparatus, which consists in subjecting the wood to a bath of hotwater maintained at a temperature below the boiling-point butsufiiciently to extract the tere inthinate therefrom,

automatically removin the terebinthinate from the surface of the ath,distilling it for the separation of theturpentine and finally furtherdistilling it at a higher tern erature for the. separation of therosin-oil rom the rosin.

. 6. The process'of obtaining from wood,

. turpentine, rosin and the products vof de-' tinuous operationconducted in one appara structive distillation of the wood by a contuswhich consists in subjecting the wood to a bath of hot water maintainedat a temperature below the boiling-point but sufficiently high toseparate the terebinthinate from the wood, automatically removing thetereb nthinate from the surface of the bath to which it rises, thendistilling it for the separation of the turpentine from the rosin,removing the water-bath from the wood and subjecting the wood todestructive distillation.

7; The process of obtaining turpentine and rosin from wood whichconsists in subjectin the wood to a bath of hot water maintaine at atemperature just below the boiling-point to separate the terebinthinatefrom the wood,

adding water to the bath to float or flow the terebinthinate from thesurface thereof, subj ectin the water and terebinthinate so remove fromthe surface of the bath to a dlstilling temperature to separate thewater and turpentine from the rosin.

8. The process of obtaining turpentine and.

rosin from wood which consists in subjecting the wood to a bath of hotwater maintaine at a temperature just below the boiling-point toseparate the terebinthinate from the wood, adding water to the bathto'float or flow the terebinthinate from the surface thereof, subjectinthe water and terebinthinate so remove from the surface of the bath to adistilling temperature to separate the water and turpentine from therosin and finally distilling the rosin at a higher temperature toseparate the rosin-oil therefrom.

'9. The process of obtaining turpentlne from wood which consists insubjectlng. the

wood to a, bath of water having an initial 0 temperature of about 130Fahrenheit and slowly raising the temperature and maintaining it atabout 210 or 211 Fahrenhelt to separate the terebinthinate wluch r1sesto the surface of the bath, floating or flowing IOO the terebinthinatefrom the surface of the a bath to a still, heating the contents of thestill to a temperature of'about 215 Fahrenheit and condensing theresulting vapors-.

,10. The process of obtaining turpentine from wood which consists insubjecting the an initial ahrenheit,

wood to a bath of water havin temperature of about 130 slowly raisingthe temperature to and maintaining it at about 210 or 211 Fahrenheit toseparate the terebinthinate which rises to the surface of the bath,adding water to the bath gradually or from time to time to flow or floatthe terebinthinate from the surface thereof to astill, raising thetemperature of the contents of the still to about 215 Fahrenheit,condensing the resulting vapors and removing the residuum from thestill.

11. The method of obtainin turpent ne, rosin and rosin-oil from wood w'ch consists in subjecting the wood to a bath of water having an initialtemperature of about 130 Fahrenheit, slowly raising the temperature to,and maintaining it at about 210 or 211 Fahrenheit; to separate theterebinthinate which rises-to the smfaee of the bath, adding Intestimony whereof we have hereunto.

water to the bath gradually or from time to subscribed our names.

time to float or flow the terebinthinate into a WILL K.

still, raising the temperature of the contents CURTISS KURSTEIN-ER. 5 ofthe still to about 215"Fahrenheit, con- Witnesses as to Will K. Hale:

densin-g the resulting vapors, then the W. H. HOLT,

temperature of the residual contents 0% the W. 0.. SMITH.

still to Va orize the rosin-Oil, condensing said Witnesses as toCurti'ss W. Kii-rsteiner:

vapor an finally removing the residualrosin' KATHARINE MAoMABmN,

10 from the still. LILLIE L. BROWNING.

